About Antonio
“There are two great wines in the world: Barolo and Champagne,” Antonio’s dad told him as a child, igniting what would turn out to be a lifelong passion.
Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Antonio's fascination with wine started at an early age. His parents retailed Italian wines, while his maternal grandfather had a deep love for Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhône. Antonio was reading avidly about the world's major winemaking regions as a teen and wrote his first articles on Burgundy and Bordeaux for his high school French class. As a teenager, though, Antonio was interested more in girls and guitars than academics. Three years of playing jazz guitar in his high school’s big band led Antonio to enroll in Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music, where he studied jazz composition and guitar. During his time at Berklee, Antonio’s influences included John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Pat Metheny and John Abercrombie, among many others. A prolific composer, Antonio led a number of ensembles in performances of his original music. For two years, Antonio played electric and acoustic guitar and mandolin in Berklee’s Country Music Ensemble. Those four years at Berklee would prove to be critical in shaping Antonio’s vision of what wine writing is and can be, a fundamental approach that recognizes quality can be achieved across a wide range of styles. Burned out from four years of non-stop writing and performing, Antonio did what all artists do at some point…wait tables. During this time, Antonio became heavily exposed to the wines of California and sold the first vintages of producers who would go on to receive significant acclaim, including Alban and Harlan Estate. Antonio ended up taking a temporary job at Putnam Investments in Boston. A few years later Antonio was sent on assignment to Milan, Italy, becoming the youngest expatriate at the firm. From 2000 to 2003 Antonio travelled across Italy meeting clients and experiencing first hand the cultural vastness that is Italy. Although Antonio had grown up in a family that appreciated good food and wine, suddenly those things were a vital part of everyday life. These years were the beginning of Antonio’s deep love for the wines of Burgundy and Piedmont. While in Italy, Antonio spent virtually every free moment in the cellars of Piedmont soaking up the culture of the magical hills around Asti and Alba. The music bug struck again after Antonio attended a riveting performance at La Scala by American Baritone Thomas Hampson in one of his signature pieces, Schubert’s Die Winterreise. Taking advantage of La Scala’s half-price rush tickets, Antonio spent many evenings at the famed opera house while continuing his vocal studies with one of Milan’s most celebrated maestros. A deep desire to strengthen his academic credentials and return to the US led Antonio to pursue an MBA at the MIT Sloan School of Management, but the allure of Italian wine was too strong to resist. Following the encouragement of his closest friends, Antonio began writing a newsletter on Piedmont wines in 2003, putting to work all of the concepts he was learning in the classroom. Ultimately, though, Barolo resonated more deeply than options and derivatives, and Piedmont Report made its debut in 2004. Within weeks Piedmont Report had readers in more than 25 countries and quickly established itself as the premier guide in the world for Piedmont wines. In 2006 Antonio joined Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate as Italian wine critic. Champagne soon followed in 2008, closing the circle on the wines that had first ignited Antonio’s passion years before. In late 2010 Robert Parker named Antonio his heir apparent at The Wine Advocate. A few months later Parker announced Antonio would take over reviews of California and Burgundy. About www.antoniogalloni.com
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On February 12, 2013 Antonio Galloni announced the launch of www.antoniogalloni.com, a multimedia, technology driven platform. Galloni will continue his extensive reporting on the wines of Italy, Champagne, California and Burgundy, while expanding coverage to other regions.
At the time of his departure, Galloni was the lead critic at The Wine Advocate, having authored 1/3rd of the reviews published by The Wine Advocate in 2012. Galloni also ran the world’s most followed bulletin board on Italian wines and spearheaded The Wine Advocate's production of video content. He developed tailored public events & seminars such as the highly anticipated “La Festa del Barolo,” vertical tastings focused on the benchmark wines of Italy, and numerous charity dinners.
Antonio has a BA from the Berklee College of Music and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He speaks fluent Spanish, English, Italian and French. Antonio lives outside New York City with his wife and two young children.
At the time of his departure, Galloni was the lead critic at The Wine Advocate, having authored 1/3rd of the reviews published by The Wine Advocate in 2012. Galloni also ran the world’s most followed bulletin board on Italian wines and spearheaded The Wine Advocate's production of video content. He developed tailored public events & seminars such as the highly anticipated “La Festa del Barolo,” vertical tastings focused on the benchmark wines of Italy, and numerous charity dinners.
Antonio has a BA from the Berklee College of Music and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He speaks fluent Spanish, English, Italian and French. Antonio lives outside New York City with his wife and two young children.
